(Just a decade behind on this one.) An excellent and charming time travel story that focuses much more on the character relationships and emotional consequences rather than the technicalities and intricacies of time travel. The time travel does play into some laughs and a huge emotional wallop, but the plot is much more akin to a rom-com about the human connections that we so desperately need.
Certainly not as good as the original, but still lots of fun when you take it for what it is. I think that’s part of this movie’s trouble - while the first one knew what it was and didn’t try to be anything more, this one does, and it gets a bit lost in trying to say something halfhearted about environmentalism. There’s cliche dialogue, which I expected, but also a few really bad performances, which I was surprised by. (And some logical leaps that really strain suspension of disbelief - physics still exist no matter what the plot says.) Anyway: come for Jason Statham fighting giant CGI sharks, stay for Pippin the tiny dog fighting a CGI kraken.
On the opposite side of the animation coin from yesterday with Ruby Gillman, Nimona is colorful, unique, and very clever. The animation is beautiful, the production design is wildly imaginative (medieval futurism?), and there is queer representation abound. It’s on Netflix - highly recommend.
Woof. If the heinously generic, blobby animation isn’t enough of a turn-off, maybe the plot points derivatively stolen from far superior movies (Turning Red, The Little Mermaid) are. With painful teenage dialogue clearly written by adults who have maybe spoken to one or two Gen Z-ers in their entire life, this is the easiest “pass” recommendation I’ve made in a long time.
This movie was Wes Anderson to the very brim. It felt like a patina-saturated toy box full of Hollywood stars that didn't go very far in terms of plot, but was effective in being weird, kitschy, and above all, delightful.
There’s not a ton of new information in this documentary, but if you’re a Marvel fan and are interested in learning more about how it all began, this is a great watch. The focus is on Stan’s life, but his story and the story of Marvel Comics are inextricably linked. (And it’s under 90 minutes, which is a godsend nowadays.)
This is another stellar installation in the Branagh “Agatha Christie-verse”! Like its predecessors, “Venice” tells one of Christie’s tales (“Halloween Party” in this case) with a killer cast and sharp style. In a twist away from the former two movies, this film fancies itself a haunted house story, and it succeeds terrifically in tone and atmosphere despite a lack of true terror, which doesn’t even feel necessary here. As we get closer to spooky season (or for those of us in Orlando already celebrating), this is a great one to add to your watch list!
There have only been a few times when I truly have been in disbelief over what I’m seeing on screeen; for example, the portals scene in Avengers: Endgame, or all of the actors they got to reprise roles from years ago for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
And now, Slotherhouse.
Now, is this script good? Not by a longshot. Is the acting good? Nope - abysmal. This is, by all accounts, a terrible movie. A murderous and inexplicably literate sloth (that survives more violence than Michael Meyers does in the original Halloween) operates a computer, a motor vehicle, runs a social media account and wields a sword while terrorizing a sorority house. Characters seem to teleport between scenes, and for a supposed slasher movie, the kills are very tame. This movie is a mess.
And yet, I can’t help but recommend it. Purely for the ludicrous but entertaining (and maybe camp?) nature of what I just sat through. This is probably best in a group setting where everyone knows exactly what they’re getting into and is ready to just go with it. I think it’s worth a spot on your October watchlist!
The Little Mermaid was easily my favorite live-action adaptation since Cinderella in 2015!
The cast was wonderful - Melissa McCarthy really seemed to commit and relish in filling Pat Carol’s shoes as Ursula, and while she was not Pat Carol, I immensely enjoyed what she did with the character. Javier Bardem was a surprisingly introspective King Triton. And, of course, Halle Bailey as Ariel - how refreshing. Not only stunning as a redesigned icon, her voice floored me on “Part of Your World” and her performance was impressive, especially considering she can’t speak for half of the movie.
I absolutely adored the notes of Bahamian style and the British Virgin Islands in the production design - it fits perfectly, and lent the movie a tinge of “Once on This Island”, which is based on the same fairy tale.
I know that I can’t be the only one feeling Lin-Manuel Miranda fatigue; one new song (Scuttlebutt) has his fingerprints all over it, and I wish it had been cut as it feels out of place.
The CGI was really beautiful to look at, and Disney definitely took notes from the lack of expression on their animals in The Lion King and fixed a good amount of that issue here.
I could go on and on, but it’s super good! Go have fun!
Cute! It’s reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet / Zootopia (I see the influence of the latter more). While I found the plot to be a little thinner/move a bit less nimbly than other Pixar movies, kids won’t care about that. I think the undoubtably fun draw here is seeing how the elements live and interact in Element City, and watching how it’s all animated. Worth a watch!
Generally speaking, the tone is pretty inconsistent here, but I still enjoyed the majority of this movie, even if it’s not totally sure what it wants to be. Sam Jackson does what Sam Jackson does best, Joe Manganiello is a brooding hitman-turned-artist, and Uma Thurman is manic in a very hit-or-miss performance depending on the scene. Tension is well-built throughout and leads to a climax that ties everything together, but in a way that is, perhaps, too clean. Part fine-art satire, part crime comedy, and part introspective study on what it means to be an artist, I just wish The Kill Room had settled into one lane a bit more deeply.
This movie is being targeted by the far right across the internet. Don't take any ratings or comments as useful information, you're on your own for this one. Maybe just watch it and find out. It's perfectly fine for children to watch, so maybe just put it on and find out. The only way it's not suitable for children is if you have a middle-aged man shouting at the screen behind them.
